First and foremost (before I continue with the story, and forgive me if I babble), I need to step back and thank each and every person for their wonderful reviews, their helpful hints and criticisms, and their uplifting compliments. A love-story was the last thing I had on my mind. Since I hope this story is a bit different, I'm using some of my own...er...experiences, which are very, VERY few (I've only been in love once, and for some very odd reasons, I might add...thank God THAT'S over and done with). And, of course, my own fantasies (I'm sorry, but I'm now obsessed with my "version" of Remus). So, without further ado: thank you Padfoot- Dreamer; thank you Rinaula; thank you EvilSnack; thank you EowynDernhelm; thank you Syd; thank you Wolf Scar; thank you Kiana; thank you "Z"; thank you "a reader"; thank you Okaisichan; thank you OjosAzules; thank you Yuri Kitsune; thank you Nora's Magelet; thank you TigerLily21; thank you Olifantje-emma; thank you IrishChick; thank you Lirael Goldenhand; thank you Tricia; thank you Bookiel; thank you risen-angel; thank you An Anti-Sheep Cheese Muffin; THANK YOU EVERYONE! You are the reasons why I love to write, and it's because of you that I continue to write. You all are kind (way too kind for someone like me =) ), and I thank you deeply from the bottom of my heart. I have never been so honored in my sixteen years of life (and to think a girl like me could get such awesome compliments!! ). To those of you who are writers, I commend you, and I hope I may return the favor and read each and every one of your stories while I drink a cup of tea. And of course, to the readers, I commend you for your patience, your diligence, and your dedication to keeping the joy of reading and the imagination alive and well. With all the stories that keep popping up in my head, you guys are my ties to reality (in other words, you keep me sane). Again, I thank you and I am forever in your debt. Forever.
On a different note, I don't own Harry Potter! Strike up the band!
##
Ch. 16: Forget Me Not
##
"I wish it hadn't come to this," Remus said as he sat on the bed, running his fingers agitatedly through his hair. "My only wish is that I had seen it coming."
"What was there to see?" Aya asked, leaning against the bedpost. "You simply cannot anticipate every person, Remus. You know that."
"But why are they acting like this?!" he yelled suddenly, looking up at her. "They shouldn't be acting like this! They're so...so...inconsiderate!"
"Maybe we're the ones who were inconsiderate," she said softly, kneeling down in front of him.
"What are you talking about?"
She sat back, drawing little circles in the carpet with her index finger. "Well, it's mostly my fault. I never should have brought this idea up in the first place..."
"Don't say that," he said earnestly, leaning forward. "I'm glad you did, and I'm happy it worked."
She blushed, then continued: "The thing is, your friends spent nearly four years trying to help you by becoming animagus, not to mention they broke the law and Dumbledore's trust." Not to say that I doubt Dumbledore doesn't know about it, but I'll keep it quiet. "I guess what I'm saying is that they probably feel more than just abandoned right now, and it really is my fault. I should have been a bit more considerate of their feelings, not just my own."
"As if I didn't have a part in it? In case you haven't noticed, I chose to do it as well, so don't you dare say it's 'all your fault.' To hell with that. I just don't get how they can't be happy for us," Remus said, narrowing his eyes.
"I just explained it to you...do I need to say it again?"
##
"Can someone please get the message across to those two thickheads, or do I have to beat it into them with a hammer if need be?"
"And what message is that, Lily?" Aya asked, placing her quill pen down on top of her homework momentarily to stretch on her bed.
"That they're being rude and idiotic!" she retorted, nearly flinging her quill across the room, but thought better of it.
"Can you please just take this whole thing from their perspective, or have you forgotten about Atticus?"
Silence.
"Lily, please don't scare me...Atticus? Atticus Finch?" Aya pleaded, sitting up on the bed, her eyes wide. "Come on...'You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it'?"
"Who the hell is Atticus Finch?"
Aya nearly toppled over in her shock. Coughing, she looked up at Lily and, drawing a breath to compose herself, replied as calmly as possible, "Atticus Finch is a character from Harper Lee's famous novel, Lily."
Still silence.
"To Kill a Mockingbird?" Aya pressed.
"Ohhh..."
"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you," Aya said with a sigh. "It's a book, Lily. We'll leave it at that."
"Where in heaven's name do you find all these books, anyway? Besides, the books you read are Muggle-written, aren't they? How do you even find them?"
"My friend's a librarian...her philosophy was basically that, if it's good, it doesn't matter who wrote them. Honestly, we both find that Muggles tend to be better writers than witches and wizards!" Aya said, laughing.
"Okay...and your whole point to what's-his-name's little speech?" Lily asked, lying down on the bed again.
"Just try and understand where James and Sirius are coming from, is all," Aya said with a shrug as she resumed her homework, ignoring Lily's long stare.
What is it with that girl and books?
##
Remus sat with his back against the armchair, brooding as he stared absent-mindedly into the fire that crackled every once in a while in the common room.
Why are they acting like this? They should be happy for us!
Both James and Sirius had refused to acknowledge Remus as another living being that day, let alone their friend. Ever neutral, Peter was left to be by himself most of the time, sometimes venturing to share in one of his friend's company. Lately, however, the uncomfortable silence of said companionship on a rather cheery Saturday afternoon was the last thing Peter desired and was instead left to his own thoughts and dreams.
Remus knew full well he should be completing his homework, but practical matters called to his attention.
The silence from his two best friends was a burden he had never wished to bear.
He knew he would spend the next full moon with Aya; he had to, for her sake and for his. Remus also knew that taking Aya along with them on the Marauder's version of a stroll under the full moon was indisputably dangerous, and, in reference to emotions, uncomfortable for his friends.
Besides, dealing with one werewolf is enough for them to handle, but two is foolhardy and out of the question.
He doubted whether they could remember each other again with three other animals around watching their every move. No, he wanted to be alone with her, to be completely free from himself to be that creature he had so admired that night. He wanted to run wild with her again, to howl at the moon, to forget all that they had done.
One thing frightened him, though; one major reason that Lily, in all her wisdom, had pointed out quite bluntly after James and Sirius had left in a huff.
"It's all fine and dandy that you two got together and had your fun, but you have to remember that you're also animals at the same time, no offense," Lily had said. "What if your animal instincts kick in to the extreme and you rut each other?"
Leave it to Lily to be frank, truthful...and ruin everything in one swing of the tongue.
But he wanted to be with Aya again like that...it was a desire inside that actually made him long for the full moon again. He sighed and leaned back against his armchair. The feeling that he could do anything at that moment, however reckless (doubtless his father had warned him about it for years), welled up inside him.
Maybe I'll take the flute up again, just for old times sake.
He had inherited the old flute and the love for music from his late grandmother.
My last grandparent...and the only relative besides my mum, dad, and brother that didn't give a damn I was a werewolf...she had stayed with me...taught me how to play the flute.
"I shouldn't have stopped playing," he said to himself. "It's been two years."
Despite all the excuses he had made to himself before, he knew he didn't want to play the flute anymore because it reminded him of Gran. And no matter how much he lied to himself, he still hurt inside, a feeling like a part of his heart was gone.
But Aya filled it up, he thought with a grin. And that will never be taken away from me.
##
"What are you doing?" Aya asked from the doorway, an eyebrow raised as she examined the room, trying to find where the floor was near Remus' bed.
"Looking for something," Remus said, getting up and peeling a dirty shirt from his shoulder.
"Uh huh...I was afraid you were going to say 'Spring Cleaning,'" she said with a laugh. "What're you looking for, anyway?"
"Um...just...stuff, you know," he said with a blush.
"Stuff, huh? Must be pretty important for you to go tearing through your clothes like that...goodness, even the bed, too," she said, shaking her head.
"The bed...OH!" he cried, slapping his thigh as he got down on his hands and knees to look under it. For a moment his head disappeared as he searched.
"Mind you don't hit your head, Remus," Aya said, coming up behind him.
Bang!
"Never mind," she said.
"Ow...man, that smarts," Remus groaned, coming out from under the bed to sit on the ground, rubbing his head.
"Let me see," Aya said as she knelt in front of him. She placed her hand on the back of his head, glancing over it. "Looks fine to me, just a bump, silly."
"Just a bump?" he said with a laugh as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He giggled and pushed her down on the ground.
"Ha, not this game again," Aya giggled, trying to push him off. "And my head's on your clothes...how nice."
He lay down next to her with a smile. "Comfy, isn't it?"
"Not really. My head's on your clothes. They better be clean."
He shrugged and kissed her. "I don't see you trying to move off them."
She returned his kiss, then asked, "What were you looking for, anyway?"
"Huh? Oh, um...nothing...stuff, like I told you," he said, his face turning red as he put what he held in his hand behind his back.
"You went through all that trouble to find whatever it is and now you won't show me? Come on, lemme see!" she pleaded, pushing herself up to look over his shoulder in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the precious item.
"It's nothing, just...just some dirty underwear!" he lied, inching away.
"Uh huh...sure. Come on, let me see, please?"
"No! You'll laugh!"
"I will not," she said with a frown. "May I see it? Please?" She stuck out her lower lip, and her eyes shone with bittersweet disappointment.
"Dammit..." he said with a heavy sigh. "You've spent too much time with Sirius."
Slowly, reluctantly, he withdrew his precious possession from behind his back and showed it to her. Her eyes widened, and a smile crept along her lips.
"Remus," she breathed, "it's beautiful. Can you play it?"
"Sort of," he said with a shrug as he stared proudly down at the soft-red flute with intricate carvings along it. "It was my Gran's before she died. She taught me how to play, then gave this to me personally, instead of in some stupid will."
"What are these carvings? These here...and here," she asked, tracing each with her eyes.
Remus felt an amazing surge of boastful pride swell in his chest, but he remembered his father's words and heeded them. "They're a different language from witches and wizards long ago in my family. This flute has lasted a very long time, with the help of a few spells, I guess. It's kind of a tradition, you could say." He blushed again.
"Can you play it?" Aya asked again quietly.
"R-right...now? Um...I don't...know what song...to play," he said, biting his lip, tracing his finger along the floor.
"Make one up," she whispered, then giggled. "I'm sorry...you don't have to if you don't want to."
"No, no, let me think first...I can't make one up, but, maybe I'll use something," he said with a shrug. The hell with it, I'll just do it.
He placed the instrument to his lips and closed his eyes, trying to remember what Gran had always told him. "If you're nervous, Pup, just focus on the music. Get lost in it, and you'll get each note without trouble."
Pup. How he missed the woman dearly.
Taking a deep breath, he began his song as he remembered when he had walked into the common room after the first full moon of the school year, following that tune. He played that song, a soft, gentle melody.
His fingers glided effortlessly across the flute as he remembered how to play again. This tune...Aya's tune, that is...it reminds me of the forest. But why did I choose this tune?
He felt guilty, using someone else's song without really asking first, but that was all he could think of at the moment, and he wanted to impress her, of course.
As he held the last note, he opened his eyes, then rested the flute in his lap, gripping it tightly. Slowly, he looked up at her, then started when he saw the tears that fell down her face, but she was smiling.
"My mum would've loved to have heard that," she said with a giggle, wiping the stray tears from her cheeks and sitting back.
"I'm sorry...it was the only thing I could really think of," he said, staring at his lap.
"I liked it...you're very talented," she whispered, clasping her hands in front of her. He blushed.
"Are there...any words to it?" he asked.
"Oh...um...yes," she said quietly.
"Really? What are they?"
"Ha, you don't say, Prongs? That's hilarious...oh," Sirius said, his demeanor quickly turning to disgust. James remained outside the room. "Come on, Prongs, we can get it later. Don't want to interrupt, do we?"
"No, I'll go," Aya said, standing up. "I didn't mean to invade again, Sirius, James. Thank you, Remus."
With a smile to Sirius and James, she left quietly.
"Hurry up, Padfoot," James pressed. "Get the chessboard and let's go."
"Wait, guys," Remus said, standing up.
"What do you want?" Sirius snapped, narrowing his eyes.
"Just to talk," Remus replied, still gripping the flute.
"Right, Music Boy," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.
"No, listen," Remus said, stepping towards them. "I'm sorry. I was selfish. I didn't even consider how you guys would feel at all."
"And now you realize it?" James said, leaning against the doorframe. "Did it take Aya telling you that to realize it?"
Remus stared at the floor. "Yes, James. It did."
"Well that's just keen, isn't it? Takes your girl to get you to your senses, but not your own loyalties to your friends?" Sirius yelled. "We went through quite a lot for you, Remus, these past years, breaking the law and Dumbledore's trust...and for what? To have it all thrown away the minute you think you've fallen in love with some girl or something? The world doesn't work that way!"
"That's enough, Padfoot," James said suddenly, stepping into the room finally. "Yes, we're a little mad at Remus, but don't bring Aya into it."
"Shut up, James. I didn't ask you for your opinion! If I understand correctly, it was Aya's idea!" Sirius cried.
"She really didn't know about us, not really," James said. "So, it's not her fault."
"It's as much her fault as it is his!" Sirius hissed, pointing at Remus. "He told her everything, didn't you, Moony? And then she gets some grand and dangerous idea, eh? Not very wise, is she?"
"Enough, Sirius," James hissed, stepping closer.
"Shut up, James! I didn't ask you," Sirius hissed. "They were both inconsiderate, both Remus and Aya!"
"Shut up, Sirius!" Remus yelled.
"I'll do as I please!" he retorted. "You got to do that with your girl, and I don't care if you two kill or rut each other or not!"
He had gone too far, and he knew it, even as Remus sent his fist crashing into his left cheek. The force of the blow sent Sirius onto his bed. "Bastard!" Remus yelled. "Don't ever say that again!"
James was shocked at Remus' outburst, but remained silent and watchful.
Clutching at his face, Sirius got to his feet and tackled Remus, fists flailing. Yelling at them, James tried to pull Sirius off Remus, but only ended up getting punched in the face by Padfoot instead. "Asswipe!" James roared, clutching his jaw as he leapt at Sirius.
There was a loud crack, and a cry. Remus pushed Sirius off him and crawled away, clutching at his flute. "You broke it," he whispered, staring down in disbelief at the ruined instrument. It lay in his lap in two broken pieces. "My...my grandmother gave this to me." Tears formed in his eyes. Gran's flute...all I really had of her...
The room went silent. Sirius, who was holding James by the waist, dropped him. James, though he hit the floor with a loud thud, managed to look up at Remus from his rather uncomfortable position.
"Remus..." Sirius whispered. "I'm...I'm sorry..."
Remus got to his feet to stare down at them, shameful tears falling down his face. "It's...broken..." he whispered, his voice hoarse from suppressed rage. Slowly, he left the room without a sound.
##
He didn't really know where he was going, but only knew he wanted to be outside, no matter how cold it might be. Wiping away his tears, he walked briskly through the deserted halls, not really looking as he ran into someone and pressed onward.
"Ow...hey!" the person yelled. "Remus? Where're you going?"
Remus stopped and turned to Aya, shameful of his tears.
"Are you alright?" she asked, concern in her voice as she stepped forward.
"It's broken!" he cried, showing her his beloved, prized, and broken flute.
$%$$%
Sorry it took so long to update...I went to Austin, Texas for a volleyball tournament, and then I had writer's block. Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to Prisoner of Azkaban's soundtrack, track 7, "A Window to the Past." For those of you who have it, you know what I'm talking about...the flute is so beautiful (like Lord of the Rings, with the hobbit flute theme! It gives me chills, it does, my precious). Anyway, please review! I appreciate it very much!
On a different note, I don't own Harry Potter! Strike up the band!
##
Ch. 16: Forget Me Not
##
"I wish it hadn't come to this," Remus said as he sat on the bed, running his fingers agitatedly through his hair. "My only wish is that I had seen it coming."
"What was there to see?" Aya asked, leaning against the bedpost. "You simply cannot anticipate every person, Remus. You know that."
"But why are they acting like this?!" he yelled suddenly, looking up at her. "They shouldn't be acting like this! They're so...so...inconsiderate!"
"Maybe we're the ones who were inconsiderate," she said softly, kneeling down in front of him.
"What are you talking about?"
She sat back, drawing little circles in the carpet with her index finger. "Well, it's mostly my fault. I never should have brought this idea up in the first place..."
"Don't say that," he said earnestly, leaning forward. "I'm glad you did, and I'm happy it worked."
She blushed, then continued: "The thing is, your friends spent nearly four years trying to help you by becoming animagus, not to mention they broke the law and Dumbledore's trust." Not to say that I doubt Dumbledore doesn't know about it, but I'll keep it quiet. "I guess what I'm saying is that they probably feel more than just abandoned right now, and it really is my fault. I should have been a bit more considerate of their feelings, not just my own."
"As if I didn't have a part in it? In case you haven't noticed, I chose to do it as well, so don't you dare say it's 'all your fault.' To hell with that. I just don't get how they can't be happy for us," Remus said, narrowing his eyes.
"I just explained it to you...do I need to say it again?"
##
"Can someone please get the message across to those two thickheads, or do I have to beat it into them with a hammer if need be?"
"And what message is that, Lily?" Aya asked, placing her quill pen down on top of her homework momentarily to stretch on her bed.
"That they're being rude and idiotic!" she retorted, nearly flinging her quill across the room, but thought better of it.
"Can you please just take this whole thing from their perspective, or have you forgotten about Atticus?"
Silence.
"Lily, please don't scare me...Atticus? Atticus Finch?" Aya pleaded, sitting up on the bed, her eyes wide. "Come on...'You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it'?"
"Who the hell is Atticus Finch?"
Aya nearly toppled over in her shock. Coughing, she looked up at Lily and, drawing a breath to compose herself, replied as calmly as possible, "Atticus Finch is a character from Harper Lee's famous novel, Lily."
Still silence.
"To Kill a Mockingbird?" Aya pressed.
"Ohhh..."
"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you," Aya said with a sigh. "It's a book, Lily. We'll leave it at that."
"Where in heaven's name do you find all these books, anyway? Besides, the books you read are Muggle-written, aren't they? How do you even find them?"
"My friend's a librarian...her philosophy was basically that, if it's good, it doesn't matter who wrote them. Honestly, we both find that Muggles tend to be better writers than witches and wizards!" Aya said, laughing.
"Okay...and your whole point to what's-his-name's little speech?" Lily asked, lying down on the bed again.
"Just try and understand where James and Sirius are coming from, is all," Aya said with a shrug as she resumed her homework, ignoring Lily's long stare.
What is it with that girl and books?
##
Remus sat with his back against the armchair, brooding as he stared absent-mindedly into the fire that crackled every once in a while in the common room.
Why are they acting like this? They should be happy for us!
Both James and Sirius had refused to acknowledge Remus as another living being that day, let alone their friend. Ever neutral, Peter was left to be by himself most of the time, sometimes venturing to share in one of his friend's company. Lately, however, the uncomfortable silence of said companionship on a rather cheery Saturday afternoon was the last thing Peter desired and was instead left to his own thoughts and dreams.
Remus knew full well he should be completing his homework, but practical matters called to his attention.
The silence from his two best friends was a burden he had never wished to bear.
He knew he would spend the next full moon with Aya; he had to, for her sake and for his. Remus also knew that taking Aya along with them on the Marauder's version of a stroll under the full moon was indisputably dangerous, and, in reference to emotions, uncomfortable for his friends.
Besides, dealing with one werewolf is enough for them to handle, but two is foolhardy and out of the question.
He doubted whether they could remember each other again with three other animals around watching their every move. No, he wanted to be alone with her, to be completely free from himself to be that creature he had so admired that night. He wanted to run wild with her again, to howl at the moon, to forget all that they had done.
One thing frightened him, though; one major reason that Lily, in all her wisdom, had pointed out quite bluntly after James and Sirius had left in a huff.
"It's all fine and dandy that you two got together and had your fun, but you have to remember that you're also animals at the same time, no offense," Lily had said. "What if your animal instincts kick in to the extreme and you rut each other?"
Leave it to Lily to be frank, truthful...and ruin everything in one swing of the tongue.
But he wanted to be with Aya again like that...it was a desire inside that actually made him long for the full moon again. He sighed and leaned back against his armchair. The feeling that he could do anything at that moment, however reckless (doubtless his father had warned him about it for years), welled up inside him.
Maybe I'll take the flute up again, just for old times sake.
He had inherited the old flute and the love for music from his late grandmother.
My last grandparent...and the only relative besides my mum, dad, and brother that didn't give a damn I was a werewolf...she had stayed with me...taught me how to play the flute.
"I shouldn't have stopped playing," he said to himself. "It's been two years."
Despite all the excuses he had made to himself before, he knew he didn't want to play the flute anymore because it reminded him of Gran. And no matter how much he lied to himself, he still hurt inside, a feeling like a part of his heart was gone.
But Aya filled it up, he thought with a grin. And that will never be taken away from me.
##
"What are you doing?" Aya asked from the doorway, an eyebrow raised as she examined the room, trying to find where the floor was near Remus' bed.
"Looking for something," Remus said, getting up and peeling a dirty shirt from his shoulder.
"Uh huh...I was afraid you were going to say 'Spring Cleaning,'" she said with a laugh. "What're you looking for, anyway?"
"Um...just...stuff, you know," he said with a blush.
"Stuff, huh? Must be pretty important for you to go tearing through your clothes like that...goodness, even the bed, too," she said, shaking her head.
"The bed...OH!" he cried, slapping his thigh as he got down on his hands and knees to look under it. For a moment his head disappeared as he searched.
"Mind you don't hit your head, Remus," Aya said, coming up behind him.
Bang!
"Never mind," she said.
"Ow...man, that smarts," Remus groaned, coming out from under the bed to sit on the ground, rubbing his head.
"Let me see," Aya said as she knelt in front of him. She placed her hand on the back of his head, glancing over it. "Looks fine to me, just a bump, silly."
"Just a bump?" he said with a laugh as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He giggled and pushed her down on the ground.
"Ha, not this game again," Aya giggled, trying to push him off. "And my head's on your clothes...how nice."
He lay down next to her with a smile. "Comfy, isn't it?"
"Not really. My head's on your clothes. They better be clean."
He shrugged and kissed her. "I don't see you trying to move off them."
She returned his kiss, then asked, "What were you looking for, anyway?"
"Huh? Oh, um...nothing...stuff, like I told you," he said, his face turning red as he put what he held in his hand behind his back.
"You went through all that trouble to find whatever it is and now you won't show me? Come on, lemme see!" she pleaded, pushing herself up to look over his shoulder in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the precious item.
"It's nothing, just...just some dirty underwear!" he lied, inching away.
"Uh huh...sure. Come on, let me see, please?"
"No! You'll laugh!"
"I will not," she said with a frown. "May I see it? Please?" She stuck out her lower lip, and her eyes shone with bittersweet disappointment.
"Dammit..." he said with a heavy sigh. "You've spent too much time with Sirius."
Slowly, reluctantly, he withdrew his precious possession from behind his back and showed it to her. Her eyes widened, and a smile crept along her lips.
"Remus," she breathed, "it's beautiful. Can you play it?"
"Sort of," he said with a shrug as he stared proudly down at the soft-red flute with intricate carvings along it. "It was my Gran's before she died. She taught me how to play, then gave this to me personally, instead of in some stupid will."
"What are these carvings? These here...and here," she asked, tracing each with her eyes.
Remus felt an amazing surge of boastful pride swell in his chest, but he remembered his father's words and heeded them. "They're a different language from witches and wizards long ago in my family. This flute has lasted a very long time, with the help of a few spells, I guess. It's kind of a tradition, you could say." He blushed again.
"Can you play it?" Aya asked again quietly.
"R-right...now? Um...I don't...know what song...to play," he said, biting his lip, tracing his finger along the floor.
"Make one up," she whispered, then giggled. "I'm sorry...you don't have to if you don't want to."
"No, no, let me think first...I can't make one up, but, maybe I'll use something," he said with a shrug. The hell with it, I'll just do it.
He placed the instrument to his lips and closed his eyes, trying to remember what Gran had always told him. "If you're nervous, Pup, just focus on the music. Get lost in it, and you'll get each note without trouble."
Pup. How he missed the woman dearly.
Taking a deep breath, he began his song as he remembered when he had walked into the common room after the first full moon of the school year, following that tune. He played that song, a soft, gentle melody.
His fingers glided effortlessly across the flute as he remembered how to play again. This tune...Aya's tune, that is...it reminds me of the forest. But why did I choose this tune?
He felt guilty, using someone else's song without really asking first, but that was all he could think of at the moment, and he wanted to impress her, of course.
As he held the last note, he opened his eyes, then rested the flute in his lap, gripping it tightly. Slowly, he looked up at her, then started when he saw the tears that fell down her face, but she was smiling.
"My mum would've loved to have heard that," she said with a giggle, wiping the stray tears from her cheeks and sitting back.
"I'm sorry...it was the only thing I could really think of," he said, staring at his lap.
"I liked it...you're very talented," she whispered, clasping her hands in front of her. He blushed.
"Are there...any words to it?" he asked.
"Oh...um...yes," she said quietly.
"Really? What are they?"
"Ha, you don't say, Prongs? That's hilarious...oh," Sirius said, his demeanor quickly turning to disgust. James remained outside the room. "Come on, Prongs, we can get it later. Don't want to interrupt, do we?"
"No, I'll go," Aya said, standing up. "I didn't mean to invade again, Sirius, James. Thank you, Remus."
With a smile to Sirius and James, she left quietly.
"Hurry up, Padfoot," James pressed. "Get the chessboard and let's go."
"Wait, guys," Remus said, standing up.
"What do you want?" Sirius snapped, narrowing his eyes.
"Just to talk," Remus replied, still gripping the flute.
"Right, Music Boy," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.
"No, listen," Remus said, stepping towards them. "I'm sorry. I was selfish. I didn't even consider how you guys would feel at all."
"And now you realize it?" James said, leaning against the doorframe. "Did it take Aya telling you that to realize it?"
Remus stared at the floor. "Yes, James. It did."
"Well that's just keen, isn't it? Takes your girl to get you to your senses, but not your own loyalties to your friends?" Sirius yelled. "We went through quite a lot for you, Remus, these past years, breaking the law and Dumbledore's trust...and for what? To have it all thrown away the minute you think you've fallen in love with some girl or something? The world doesn't work that way!"
"That's enough, Padfoot," James said suddenly, stepping into the room finally. "Yes, we're a little mad at Remus, but don't bring Aya into it."
"Shut up, James. I didn't ask you for your opinion! If I understand correctly, it was Aya's idea!" Sirius cried.
"She really didn't know about us, not really," James said. "So, it's not her fault."
"It's as much her fault as it is his!" Sirius hissed, pointing at Remus. "He told her everything, didn't you, Moony? And then she gets some grand and dangerous idea, eh? Not very wise, is she?"
"Enough, Sirius," James hissed, stepping closer.
"Shut up, James! I didn't ask you," Sirius hissed. "They were both inconsiderate, both Remus and Aya!"
"Shut up, Sirius!" Remus yelled.
"I'll do as I please!" he retorted. "You got to do that with your girl, and I don't care if you two kill or rut each other or not!"
He had gone too far, and he knew it, even as Remus sent his fist crashing into his left cheek. The force of the blow sent Sirius onto his bed. "Bastard!" Remus yelled. "Don't ever say that again!"
James was shocked at Remus' outburst, but remained silent and watchful.
Clutching at his face, Sirius got to his feet and tackled Remus, fists flailing. Yelling at them, James tried to pull Sirius off Remus, but only ended up getting punched in the face by Padfoot instead. "Asswipe!" James roared, clutching his jaw as he leapt at Sirius.
There was a loud crack, and a cry. Remus pushed Sirius off him and crawled away, clutching at his flute. "You broke it," he whispered, staring down in disbelief at the ruined instrument. It lay in his lap in two broken pieces. "My...my grandmother gave this to me." Tears formed in his eyes. Gran's flute...all I really had of her...
The room went silent. Sirius, who was holding James by the waist, dropped him. James, though he hit the floor with a loud thud, managed to look up at Remus from his rather uncomfortable position.
"Remus..." Sirius whispered. "I'm...I'm sorry..."
Remus got to his feet to stare down at them, shameful tears falling down his face. "It's...broken..." he whispered, his voice hoarse from suppressed rage. Slowly, he left the room without a sound.
##
He didn't really know where he was going, but only knew he wanted to be outside, no matter how cold it might be. Wiping away his tears, he walked briskly through the deserted halls, not really looking as he ran into someone and pressed onward.
"Ow...hey!" the person yelled. "Remus? Where're you going?"
Remus stopped and turned to Aya, shameful of his tears.
"Are you alright?" she asked, concern in her voice as she stepped forward.
"It's broken!" he cried, showing her his beloved, prized, and broken flute.
$%$$%
Sorry it took so long to update...I went to Austin, Texas for a volleyball tournament, and then I had writer's block. Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to Prisoner of Azkaban's soundtrack, track 7, "A Window to the Past." For those of you who have it, you know what I'm talking about...the flute is so beautiful (like Lord of the Rings, with the hobbit flute theme! It gives me chills, it does, my precious). Anyway, please review! I appreciate it very much!